News

Liesendahl Collection to be Displayed at Civil War and Locomotive Museum

KENNESAW, GA – An Atlanta man’s family is graciously lending his comprehensive collection of Civil War artifacts and relics to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, in Kennesaw, GA, enhancing the Museum’s already impressive Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War Collection. Before his death in 2001, James A. Liesendahl amassed an impressive collection worth over $250,000 that the family feels belongs where it can be viewed by the public.

The Museum, formerly the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, will reopen to the public on March 30, 2003 after completing a massive expansion to include Glover Machine Works: Casting a New South, Railroads, and The Great Locomotive Chase, which tells the story of the General, a locomotive stolen by Union spies in Kennesaw during the Civil War.

“Through the generosity of the Liesendahl family, we will be able keep this extensive collection in the Atlanta area and display 160 Civil War artifacts to the public that James A. Liesendahl was able to collect throughout his life,” Museum Executive Director Jeff Drobney, Ph.D., said. “The collection features items from both the Union and Confederate armies, including an entire sword, pistol, and telescope set kept together for over 100 years, a soldier’s ‘housewife’ – a handmade sewing kit with embroidered initials probably made by a wife or mother, and musical instruments like bugles and drums.”

The Liesendahl artifacts are valued additions to the Railroads Collection and include a wide variety of rifles, carbines, swords, bayonettes, eating utensils and personal items that tell a broader story of the life and times of Civil War soldiers.

Curator George Deeming was impressed by the collection. “Wooden Civil War era artifacts can be hard to come by, but Liesendahl accumulated several interesting pieces, including a surgeon’s storage box and a Confederate cherry wood canteen. Also in the collection is a rare shaving kit with a tin cup, razor, and brush,” he said.

“Liesendahl took great care to find authentic pieces for his collection. He moved to Georgia in the 1950s from Michigan and fell in love with the South. He spent a lot of time visiting Civil War museums and battlefields in the North and South,” Deeming explained. “All of the pieces he collected are in excellent condition and came with detailed histories or stories that provide a glimpse into the daily life of Americans during Civil War times.”

In addition to the Liesendahl Collection, Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War depicts the important role railroads played during the Civil War and The Chase chronicles this exciting Civil War adventure with a new movie, reproductions, and by displaying the stolen locomotive, the General.

The role of industry in rebuilding the South after the Civil War will be illustrated by the Glover Collection that will feature a reproduction of a turn-of-the-century locomotive factory, with two locomotives in various stages of assembly. This collection includes a film, machine patterns, and extensive archives that detail the growth and success of the company.

A member of the prestigious Smithsonian Affiliations program, the Museum will also feature exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and incorporate Smithsonian artifacts in its exhibits. A lecture series spotlighting historians from the Smithsonian Institution is planned as well.

The Museum will hold its grand opening celebration on March 30, 2003 and is just 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273, Wade Green Road in Kennesaw. Call 770-427-2117 for more information.